> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://devdocs.xbox.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# XBOX Game Energy Efficiency Essentials

> Checklist of essential passive and opt-in techniques from the XBOX Sustainability Toolkit for lowering a title's power consumption without sacrificing fidelity.

The Energy Efficiency Essentials is a checklist of game-level sustainability practices authored with XBOX Game Studios and XBOX Sustainability Toolkit pilot partners. It serves as:

* A foundation for sustainability in all titles.
* A prioritization checklist for sustainability planning.
* A consistent standard so players know what to expect.

## Passive vs. opt-in features

| Passive                                                           | Opt-in / opt-out                                                 |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Imperceptible design choices. Capping animated lobbies at 30 FPS. | Player-facing toggles. Dedicated Eco Mode at a lower resolution. |

## Preparation

### Request a Certification Sustainability Power Report

Late-stage or released titles can request a bespoke power report from the Certification team. Contact your Microsoft point of contact.

> Validated: **Yes** · Impact: **N/A**

### Use Partner Center sustainability telemetry

For released titles, view average power consumption, global energy footprint, and global carbon emissions over time. Use to monitor the impact of content updates.

See [Partner Center sustainability data](/build/game-principles/sustainability/partner-center-sustainability-data) for step-by-step instructions on downloading the dataset.

> Validated: **Yes** · Impact: **N/A**

### Access GDK tooling

* Review case studies for experimentation practices.
* Step-by-step configuration for testing.
* Use the Power Monitor UI in XBOX Manager.
* Request 1:1 onboarding from the XBOX Sustainability working group.

> Validated: **Yes** · Impact: **N/A**

## Graphics

### Lower frame rate in animated menus

Most menus do not need 60+ FPS.

| Menu type                                   | Recommended Hz          |
| ------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- |
| Customization screens (not snappy-critical) | 30                      |
| Snappy menus                                | 60                      |
| Anything else                               | 120 is rarely necessary |

Pause menus rarely need more than 30 Hz. Engine-dependent — some engines won't run menus at 30 FPS. Requires per-menu control.

> Validated: **Yes** · Type: **Passive** · Impact: **High**

### Lower internal resolution in menus, lobbies, and leaderboards

* Drop internal resolution by 10–20% before upscaling.
* Console upscaler can keep the menu output at 2160p.
* Keep UI at native resolution for legibility.
* Use modern upscalers aggressively: AMD FSR, NVIDIA DLSS, TSR, TAAU, Intel XeSS.
* If opt-in / opt-out, default the feature **on**.

> Validated: **Yes** · Type: **Passive or Opt-in/Opt-out** · Impact: **High**

### Lower resolution / frame rate on an idle timer

If the title detects no input for \~30 s or more in a navigable area, reduce resolution and / or frame rate.

* Players often leave the game running in front-end screens between matches.
* GPU load in lobbies can approach gameplay load. Front-end scenes are simpler, so they have headroom.
* Streamers may want to opt out; provide a toggle.

> Validated: **Yes** · Type: **Passive or Opt-in/Opt-out** · Impact: **High**

### Use 2.5D for menus and lobbies

A 2D backplate with camera-correct perspective, plus a 3D avatar or model in the foreground.

* Case studies show \~**30% power savings** vs. fully 3D menus.
* Load times improve.
* FX particles still deliver depth.
* Backplates author cleanly in any DCC tool (Unity, Unreal, Maya).
* Lock dynamic resolution to extract the full savings.

> Validated: **Yes** · Type: **Passive** · Impact: **High**

### Detect controller disconnection

If the primary controller is disconnected for an extended period, reduce resolution / frame rate.

* On average, games spend **\~11%** of duration with a controller disconnected message visible.
* Provide opt-out for streamers.

> Validated: **Yes** · Type: **Passive or Opt-in/Opt-out** · Impact: **High**

### Lower frame rates on non-interactive loading screens

If the player can't interact, cap the frame rate.

> Validated: **Yes** · Type: **Passive** · Impact: **Low**

### Reduce off-screen object updates

Existing culling, LOD, and update-frequency optimizations also save energy. Examples:

* LOD animation by camera distance for small objects.
* Update some systems every Nth frame.
* Physics collision and audio typically still need every frame.

> Validated: **Yes** · Type: **Passive** · Impact: **Moderate**

## Design architecture

### Adopt Dynamic Power States (DPS)

Lets the driver dynamically scale GPU power level based on workload.

```cpp theme={null}
SetDriverHintX(DRIVER_HINT_SET_DYNAMIC_POWER, 1);
```

The GPU automatically tunes its p-state from normalized frame statistics. Pair with other Sustainability Toolkit techniques for compounding savings — case studies report **10–15%** additional savings on top of existing efficiency work, and up to **50–58%** reduction in main-menu power on some titles.

See [Dynamic Power States](/build/game-principles/sustainability/dynamic-power-states) for the full API, retail integration, and development-mode testing steps.

> Validated: **Yes** · Type: **Passive or Opt-in/Opt-out** · Impact: **High**

### Player-facing Power Saving Mode, on by default

A visible toggle:

* Gives players control and acclimates them to the concept.
* Lets streamers temporarily disable for live broadcasts.
* Signals sustainability as a studio value.

> Validated: **No** · Type: **Opt-in/Opt-out** · Impact: **Moderate**

### Collapse static menus into 2D backplates

If there is no 3D camera or scene motion, render menus as 2D — saves CPU and GPU.

> Validated: **Yes** · Type: **Passive** · Impact: **Moderate**

### Split base install from high-quality assets

Use **Intelligent Delivery** Features and Recipes:

* Make modes (campaign, multiplayer) independently addable / removable.
* Ship 4K and 8K asset tiers as separate installs — most players cannot use 8K.

Less data downloaded means less energy spent in the grid and on the device.

> Validated: **Yes** · Type: **Passive** · Impact: **Low**

See [**Intelligent Delivery**](/build/core-features/common/packaging/intelligentdelivery-features-recipes) for the implementation guide.

## Process

### Time-shift job queues to off-peak / cleaner grid hours

Schedule updates and downloads when grids have more renewable energy. Some non-profits provide APIs to query emissions intensity by region.

> Validated: **Yes** · Type: **Passive** · Impact: **Low**

## Coming soon / opportunities to validate

### Save energy during the Constrained life-cycle state

When the game enters Constrained (Guide opens, TCUI appears, user returns to Home, focus is lost):

* Pause gameplay, drop computational demand.
* Remain paused until the player resumes.

Games can spend **\~15%** of their life-cycle in Constrained, and cert data shows Constrained can use as much power as gameplay.

> Validated: **Yes** · Type: **Passive** · Impact: **Moderate**

## Send us feedback

Reach out to [XboxSustainability@Microsoft.com](mailto:XboxSustainability@Microsoft.com) to share case studies, ask questions, or contribute to future revisions of the checklist.

## Related

* [Sustainability overview](/build/game-principles/sustainability/sustainability-overview)
* [Sustainability developer overview](/build/game-principles/sustainability/sustainability-developer-overview)
* [Dynamic Power States](/build/game-principles/sustainability/dynamic-power-states)
* [Sustainability PIX guide](/build/game-principles/sustainability/sustainability-pix-guide)
* [Sustainability devkit guide](/build/game-principles/sustainability/sustainability-devkit-guide)
* [Partner Center sustainability data](/build/game-principles/sustainability/partner-center-sustainability-data)
* [Lab platform baselines](/build/game-principles/sustainability/lab-platform-baselines)
* [Global platform baselines](/build/game-principles/sustainability/global-platform-baselines)
* [Sustainability case studies](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-overview)
* [Intelligent Delivery](/build/core-features/common/packaging/intelligentdelivery-features-recipes)


## Related topics

- [Client-side use of XBOX services user privileges](/services/xbox-services/fundamentals/identity/privileges/concepts/live-user-privileges-client.md)
- [View sustainability data in Partner Center](/build/game-principles/sustainability/partner-center-sustainability-data.md)
- [Gears of War: Reloaded case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-gears-of-war-reloaded.md)
- [The Elder Scrolls Online case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-elder-scrolls-online.md)
- [Fortnite & Unreal Engine case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-fortnite.md)